Join industry professionals at Drawing and Talking’s annual conference on 9th June

Against a backdrop of concerns regarding the state of our mental health sector – including a serious lack of funding and huge waiting times for access to services – Dr Allan (PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) will join a host of industry professionals from the children’s education and healthcare sectors, at Drawing and Talking’s (D&T) annual conference in London on 9th June.

Established in 2004 by Maria Beagley, and her daughter, Catherine, D&T hosts training days across the UK throughout the year, which teach an innovative and informed therapeutic method, equipping adults with tools they need to help children who have suffered trauma or who have underlying emotional problems that may be affecting their learning and behaviour; particularly those on the waiting list for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) or other outside agencies as well as children who are showing signs of anxious-avoidant insecure attachment.

To date D&T has trained over 7,000 professionals and its technique is being implemented in over 5,000 schools across the UK.

The industry professionals – which include D&T’s training participants, teachers, teaching assistants (TAs) and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) – will come together on 9th June at the Imperial Hotel, Russel Square, to discuss the positive effects of D&T’s innovative therapy technique and present evidence of its effectiveness as an early intervention method for children suffering with emotional difficulties.

D&T’s roots stem from Dr John Allan’s Serial Drawing Technique, which was used to train students at the University of British Columbia in their first year of undergraduate study. Maria, a former SENCO, was introduced to the non-intrusive therapy by British Child Psychotherapist, Michael Green, who then co-wrote the training programme with Maria, developing Dr Allan’s technique for UK professionals.

Dr Allan comments: “I developed Drawing and Talking in the mid-1960s, to help children who are struggling in school or with life. It’s a simple method, which encourages each side of a child’s brain to work together to process difficult or painful memories by combining drawing, a right-brained activity, and talking, a left-brained activity. Over time, drawings tend to move through stages of chaos and struggle to reparation and healing as the child becomes more able to process and manage their pain. This often leads to more positive behaviour and engagement with day-to-day learning processes.”

Maria adds: “The annual conference is a rare chance for our participants to come together in the presence of Dr Allan, to discuss the results they have had using the Drawing and Talking technique, exchange findings and ask for advice to further advance their skills.”